Winners of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Sport and Art Contest are Primo Angeli of San Francisco for his mixed-media illustration, “London Calling,” and Martin Linson of St. Charles, Mo., for his bronze sculpture “Omnipotent Triumph,” according to a news release from the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne.

Angeli and Linson will advance to the IOC art contest in Lausanne, Switzerland, where they will compete with artists from 48 countries for the chance to win up to $30,000 and have their artwork showcased at the 2012 London Games.

The U.S. contest was conducted by the Academy in cooperation with the Art of the Olympians and under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee. It was the fourth consecutive U.S. Olympic Sport and Art contest that the Academy has overseen.

“London Calling” depicts the classic portrayal of the ancient Greek discus thrower, Discopolis. Angeli added an armband with the 2012 London Olympic logo on it. The piece integrates contemporary branding with ancient fine art for an Olympic celebration.

Linson’s “Omnipotent Triumph” is a tribute to the Paralympic athlete. It features an Olympian crossing the finish line in his wheelchair with his arms uplifted in a triumphant victory pose.

"Omnipotent Triumph" by Martin Linson. (Courtesy U.S. Sports Academy)

For more information on the Olympic art competition conducted by the U.S. Sports Academy for the United States Olympic Committee, go to http://goo.gl/ZPNBY.

ArtNOTES: Last week Judy Ashwander Moore of Gulf Shores contacted us with news about her late brother, Donald Ashwander (1929-1994), the Alabama-born composer/pianist with strong ties to Mobile and south Alabama.

“I am writing to let you know of a recent double CD of Donald’s music that was just released by New World Records in January 2012,” she says. “The CD is titled ‘Sunshine and Shadow.’ There are 43 Ashwander compositions on the double CD; this includes 10 songs with vocals by my daughter, Sharon Moore (who lives in Fairhope).

“Donald had a very interesting life, which is outlined nicely in the wonderful album notes by composer/artist Max Morath.”

Here is a link to the homepage of New World Records showing Ashwander as “new Release”: http://www.newworldrecords.org. Click on “new release” for January 2012.

Mobile ceramic artist Charles Smith (www.smith-pots.com) checked in with news that one of his creations earned 2nd Place in the Vasefinder International 2012 competition.

For the 7th annual Vasefinder show, Smith designed an unglazed tripod-base stoneware vessel using the sgraffito technique. The vase is just shy of 15 inches high and 10 inches wide.

“For more than 35 years, . . . Charles Smith has been technically perfecting ceramic vessels, distinctive in shape and decoration,” according to his artist’s statement. “With intricately interwoven patterns, as though inspired by the design of some ancestral robe, Smith’s decorative motifs pay homage to his African roots filtered through his own life on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.

“Smith (brings) to his Alabama pottery . . . an intense, even passionate, desire to reconnect to the African traditions to which he has a rightful inheritance.”

His work was included in the important national exhibition “Uncommon Beauty in Common Objects: The Legacy of African-American Craft Art.”

Playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder says “things are progressing nicely” with her preparations to launch the Chat & Chew Supper Club in March.

“The script is in a good place,” she says. “There is certainly more work to be done, but I’m happy with the progress. Now to learn it all! I’m going into the kitchen at All Saints on Tuesday to do a test run of the meal in the actual space. Cooking it really needs to become second nature.

“People are definitely talking about the project. . . . I sold a chunk of tickets and many more have said they are coming. . . . I’ve also had a couple of people contact me about possibly doing private shows, which is awesome.”

Wilder says the show “is really about all the things we hunger for, and how hunger of all kinds motivates us in life.”

“The logistics of cooking a full meal while performing have had to be broken down step by step,” she says. “In planning the menu, I wanted to keep it simple and healthy. I couldn’t cook anything that took more than an hour to prep and cook, and I have tried to avoid anything that would require me to stand at the stove for long periods of time. I want to make sure that I stay engaged with the audience.

“Leading up to the opening, a lot of time will be spent cooking the meal while I talk.”

Historic Mobile Preservation Society is launching a new quarterly daytime educational program called “Stepping Into History,” which will feature tours of Mobile’s less publicly accessed historical structures, lectures and hands-on experiences.

The inaugural program will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. HMPS will take a guided tour of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception led by Tilmon Brown, a Cathedral tour docent for the Catholic Heritage Society of Mobile.

The tour will feature the history of the Catholic parish and Archdiocese of Mobile and how it helped shaped the history of Mobile. Brown will review how that history relates to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of Mobile.

Another segment will examine the architectural elements of the Cathedral and includes an in-depth tour. Lastly, the tour will explain religious items and symbols of the Cathedral.

The tour will begin on the front steps of the Cathedral. Admission is $10 for all HMPS members and $45 for non-members, which will include an individual membership to HMPS for one year and all membership benefits. Reservations, call 251-432-6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net.

Mardi Gras artwork by Kathy Whitinger. (Courtesy of Ashland Gallery)

Ashland Gallery in Midtown will be in celebration mode from 10 a.m. until noon Wednesday, Feb. 15, before the Mystics of Ashland Place parade at 12:30 p.m.

Kathy Whitinger will be in the gallery signing her prints from 10 to noon and 1-3 p.m. after the parade; a vintage Krispy Kreme doughnut truck will be on hand with fresh doughnuts and coffee.

Members of the Excelsior Band will perform before the parade and lead a “second-line” procession to the pre-school afterward. Ashland Gallery also carries prints by Eugenia Foster, handmade pins by Beaux Fish Studio, and cards by Kristin Stone.

The gallery also is organizing a fundraiser for the family of slain Mobile police officer Steven Green. Details will be forthcoming. Information, call Sue Adair or Cathy Collins 251-479-3548.